Concrete spreading means



May 9, 1933. J. F. R085 7,

CONCRETE SPREADI NG MEANS Filed July 20, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l lei May 9, 1933. J. F. ROBB CONCRETE SPREADING MEANS Filed July 20, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 y 9, 1933. J. F. ROBE 1,907,668

CONCRETE SPREADING MEANS Filed July 20, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Elf =5 Patented May 9, 1933 UNITED STATES JOHN F. 30133, OF CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, OHIO CONCRETE SPREADING MEANS Application filed July 20,

In concrete road building operations, it is desirable that the mixed Concrete be laid upon the subgrade in as evenly distributed a manner as is practicable in order to expedite the completion ofthe road as rapidly as possible. Mechanical devices for spreading the concrete as it is discharged from the mixers have already been employed with noteworthy increase in the efliciency of the road building operations and a marked saving of the time and labor required for the manual carrying out of such operations, in addition to there being obtainable a more even distribution of the mixed concrete when mechanical spreaders are employed.

As is well known, mixing drums mounted upon trucks and adapted to mix a charge of concrete aggregates and to maintain such charge in a thoroughly mixed condition while being transported to the location of operations, are becoming widely employed; and the present invention contemplates the provision of a simple and convenient form of distributor readily attachable to such trucks or transit mixers for assuring an even laying of the mixed concrete as it is discharged from the mixing drum of the transit mixer.

More specifically, the present invention deals with such a distributor in the form of a hopper mounted upon such a truck as aforesaid under the discharge end of the mixing drum, which hopper is foldable or.

collapsible so as to be brought out of the way when not in use, there being means provided for firmly supporting the hopper from the truck frame in both operative and inoperative positions.

The invention also includes instrumentalities associated with the discharge hopper forthe discharge of concrete from the hopper,

as will become apparent from the detaileddescription of the construction hereinafter set forth.

Further objects and advantages of the new and improved construction of this in- 1931. Serial No. 552,028.

vention will become apparent as the description proceeds. readily understood by reference to the accompanying' drawings, in 'which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a concrete Inixing truck having applied thereto a distributor constructed in accordance with the present invention; 7

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary plan view of 6c the rear of the truck frame without the v mixing drum, showing the foldable or collapsible mounting of the distributing hopper and the position taken by the hopper as it assumes its-inoperative and operative positions. V

Figure 4 is a rear elevation of the mixer of Figures 1 and 2, showing the distributing hopper in its open, or operative, position, and illustrating also a form of means for directing the batch, as discharged from the,

mixing drum, towards the ends of. the hopper.

Figure 5 is a sectional view along the line 5-5 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows, and showing the hopper in folded position. 1 I

Figure 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the rear end of a mixer truck showing in vertical section, a somewhat different form of distributing hopper mounted thereon, and indicating indotted lines the position assumed by the hopper as itis swung from operative to inoperative positions. I

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6,

but showing the distributor in its inoperative position. y

I Figure 8 is a top plan view of the construction of Figures 6 and'7, showing the hopper in operative position and also showing a deflector shield employed for directing. the batch from the mixing drum into the hopper. v

Figure 9 is a top plan view of a modified form of hopper provided with an adjustable control door or gate for controlling discharge of material :from the distributinghopper.

Figure lO'is a sectional view line 10-10 ofFigure 9.

along the The invention will be more 45 Figure 11 is a longitudinal vertical section through the modified form of hopper in extended position, the deflecting shield being omitted, showing the effect of the omission thereof.

Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure 11,

- illustrating the shield and the effects of the use thereof, and I Figure 13 is a perspective View of one of crete batch is secured to the frame of a transit mixer of any desirable type, of which the reference character A designates the mixing drum having the discharge end B and mountedv upon the truck frame C. In

the-mixershown in Figures 1 and 2 the truck has solid axles D, the rear wheels being driven by a chain E from a jackshaft axle F. This construction is a standard form of mixing drum and truck, as previously indicated.

and 1b are pivotally supported on the frame- Secured to the rear end of the truck frame C is the distributing hopper, which forms the subject matter of this invention. This hopper designated generally at 1 is made up of the cooperating sections 1a and 1b hinged together vertically at 2, the hinge 2 being suitably located intermediate the ends of the hopper 1.

,Each of the sections of the hopper 1a 0 in the truck at two spaced points by the links 3 and 4 pivoted to the frame channels C at, the points 30; and 4a respectively. The links 3 and 4 are adapted to lie against the frame channels C in both the operative and inoperative positions of the hopper.

Latch members 5 and 6 are provided on the sides of the frame channels C to engage the links 3 and 1 respectively so as to firmly hold the hopper in its collapsed position as well as its extended position.

It will be seen from Figures 1, 2, and 3 that as the hopper is moved from itsextended to its collapsed position the central portion is actually moved forward until it occupies a position partly under the truck frame C, as shown in full lines in Figure The'relativeforward movement under the truck frame, is of course determined by thepositionof the pivotal connection, between each. link and the hopper sections, these pivotal connections being indicated at 7 and 8 respectively. If these pivotal connections 7 and 8 were disposed farther toward the It will be seen, al so, that the distributor 1- is mounted beneath the discharge end of the. mixing drum A, and forv guidingthe discharged material into the hopper 1 from the discharge port B. of the drum A, theremay be provided a stationary hopper 11, secured by brackets 12 and standards 13 to the frame channels C. Thisauxiliary hop-.

per 11 has also an open bottom, and is designed simply to guide the materialsfrom' the mixing drum into the folded distributing hopper 1.

To prevent any tendency of undueconcentration of discharged materials at the middle of the distributor ,1 when this distributor is extended, there may be provided a deflector 14 in the auxiliary hopper 11, this deflector 14: being in the shape of aninverted V, and it is provided for thepurpose of guiding the discharged. material away from the center of the folding hopper 1, thereby giving a more even distribution ofconcrete in this distributing hopper as the concrete is discharged-therein from the mixing drum.

Figures 6, 7, and 8 show a somewhat modified form of -mounting for the foldable distributing hopper, in this modified form the hopper being swmgably mounted on a vertical axis, as Willbe seen from Figure.

6, for the folding orcollapsing; operation, after which it is pivoted on horizontal axis, as will be seen from Figure -7.

' In Figures 6, 7, and 8 the folding distributing hopper is indicated at 15a and15b, and is carried on the frame channels C of the truck by the bracket 16, the distributing hopper being mounted for rotation on a Vertical axis,'as indicated at 17, and also on'a horizontal axis, as indicated at'18, the hinge connection between. the hopper sections being indicatedat 17, and works in bearing members 19 and 19a, the construction being suitably braced as indicated at 20, the member 17 being a verticalhingepin passing.

through tne bearing membersto complete the hinge. Y T

if Any desirable means may be used to swing the folded hopper about its horizontal-axis 18, such as a power operated inemberoracrank shaft, as designated at 21 and 22. The dead center position of the crank 22 As previously mentioned, the bracket 16 is carried by the frame channels C, thisbracket being mounted upon an angle: member 23 interconnecting the ends of the frame channels C, and bracket 16 forming the supporting member for the front portion of the hopper when the hopper is in extended position. I i 7 Since it is necessary to first fold the hopper on its vertical axis 17, the handle 22 is disposed so that it cannot be operated until the hopper is first folded, the front sides of the hopper being disposed under these conditions in the way of the handle 22 to prevent the operation of the handle until the hopper is swung into the dotted line position of Figure 6, which will free the handle for operation in the direction of the arrow, which will thus cause the hopper to move around the horizontal pivot 18 to raise it into the position shown in Figure 7.

It will be understood that any interlocking means may be provided for holding the ,free ends of the parts .of the hopper together, and, if desired, a pair of pivoted hook members 24 may be provided between the hopper and the truck frame. Such hook members will serve as grips and will also prevent any independent oscillation of the extended hopper member around its vertical axis 17 when in use. p i

As in the form of the invention previously described, there is provided an inverted V shaped shield 25 at the center of'the hopper, one half of the shield being disposed at the inner end of each hopper section 15a, 15?), so that when the sections are moved into the extended or operative position the upper portions of the shieldsections abut one another and thus form a complete shield. It will therefore be understood that in this form the shield member is made upof a pair of-corresponding separate sections which register with one another when the.

distributing hopper is expanded 'so as to guide or direct the discharge from the-mixing drum A properly into the extended distributor hopper. This shield mcmber- 25 also incidentally forms a shield for the supporting bracket 16, and also forms a tie -for the inner ends of the trough sections 15a, 15?) holding these ends together when the hopper is extended, and preventing any is proivded with an inwardly extended For this purpose, in the modi flange 26 beneath which is adapted to be placed a gate, or door 27,'hingedly mounted on a rod or other suitable hinge 28, the door 27 being adapted to close'the bottom of the hopper for the'prevention of delivery of concrete when? so desired; :In view of the.

fact that itmay frequently be desirable to spread the concrete from only a portion of the length of the distributing hopper, if the gate 27 -1be made shorter than the total length of the hopper and be made slidable along the rod 28, as well as being pivotally mounted thereon, it will be apparent that the discharge of the material from the hopper can be controlled to whatever extent may be desired. If it be desired to distribute concrete from the whole length of the hopper, the gate 27 is raised to the position shown in Figure 10, thus exposing the entire open bottom of the distributor; but if it be desired to spread only from'eitherend of the hopper or from both ends thereof while preventing distribution from the central area intermediate the ends, the appropriate control of the distribution can be effected by simply sliding the gate '27 to the appropriate position on the rod 28 and then closing the gate over the area of the bottom of the hopper which it is desired to shutoff. The flange 27 provents material from falling behind the gate and thus interfering with i the operation thereof.

It. will be apparent'from the drawings that any convenienttype' of mixing drum responding parts or bracket members 30 and 30a, which register with one another when the sections are extended, thus forming the bearing members 19 and 19a for the vertical hinge 17 upon which these sections fold. A link 31 is suitably carried by the crank shaft 21 and handle 22 forming the operating connection between the crank and the pivoted bracket 20. i

It will be apparent from the above description that there is provided by this in vention a simple mechanism for distributin concrete or other analogous material direct ly from a'mixer upon the surface intended to receive the material so being distributed; and it will be clear that the invention provides a simple construction of this make which is readily positioned in operative and inoperative positions relative to the mixer, the inoperative position being such as not .to interfere inany way with the mixing operation taking place in the mixing device, or in movement of the mixing device from place to place.

'As will be seen from Figure 4, the hopper sections 1a and 16 each carry cooperating hinge bearing members 32, 32a, and 33- and 83a, through which bearing members the pin 2 is passed to form the vertical hinge about i which the distributing hopper is folded. A

similar arrangement is provided for the modified form of hopper illustrated in Figures 6, 7, and 8, as more clearly shown in Figures 6 and 13, wherein the bearing members for the vertical hinge pin mounted upare somewhat more clearly illustrated in Figures ll, 12, and 13, particularly with reference to the manner in which the hopper sections are mounted on the bracket 16, and

in the manner .in which the shield is formed and the results obtained through the use thereof. From these figures, it will be seen that the walls of each hopper section are notched, or cut away in correspond? 7 ing manner as indicated at 34, 34a and to provide for the passage of the bracket 16 through the hopper at each adjoining end of the. hopper sections. This bracket 16 has the bearing member 36 pivoted at- 18 to the end thereof, this bearing member cooperating wit-h the member 19 for the reception of the vertical hinge pin 17. The bearing member 36 carries the brace arm 20, pivotally connected at 37 with'the connecting link 31, the brace 20 terminating at its lower end in the bearing'member 38, which, together with the members 19, 19a and 36 receives the vertical hinge pin 17. This ar- Erangement gives a sturdy construction for 7 raising the folded hopper to the position shown in Figure 7.

If the shield 25 were omitted, the charge of concrete would tend to concentrate at the middle of the extended distributing hopper, as indicated in Figure 11,. while with this deflecting. shield, the charge of concrete is deflected more to theends of the hopper, as will be apparent from Figure 12, thus causing a more efiicient spreading action. As will be seen from Figures 8', 12 and 13, the shield 25 is formed of corresponding sections, each one being disposedin each half of the hopper, so that'when the hopper sections are extended, each halfshield will come into registration to form the complete deflector. These sections, indicated at 25a, when in registration, meet above the bracketlG, and form also a shield to protect this bracket from the concrete being discharged into the distributing hopper,

and also serves to keep the hinges free from obstruction through. accumulation. of. con-' crete therein. As previously set forth, also,

the hi ld membershold the free'ends 0f t hopper sections together and tie-in these inner ends to prevent accidental spreading thereof while the hopper is in use. Furthermore, the registration of the notches 34, 34a and.35 with the bracket 16 when the hopper is extended produces additional support for the hopper during. the distributing: operation.

It will be apparent that the device of this invention will assure an even spread of the concrete upon the desired surface, which spread is under strict control at all times. It will also be apparent that while the form Oif the invention herein specifically illustrated and described constitutes a very convenient and easily applied form, yet the details of this specifically described and illustrated form of the invention may be varied within relatively Wide limits without departing from the inventive concept; and that such variations can be made readily by those skilled in this art. It will accordingly be understood that it is intended and desired to embrace within the scope of this invention, such modifications and changes may be necessary to adapt it to varying.

conditions and uses.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure'by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A concrete spreader comprising, the combination with a truck frame and cons crete holding drum mounted thereon, *of a, foldable' distributing hopper mounted on the frame and adapted to directly receive material discharged from the drum, and means for folding and expanding the hopper into inoperative and operative positions, the hop-- per when folded occupying a space substantially the width of the truck frame, and when unfolded becoming operative to a length greater than the width of the said frame.

2. A spreading device of the character described, comprising a container formed of a plurality of sections hingedly mounted .together and cooperating when in operative position to form a continuous distributing hopper, and means for operating the sections about the hinged mountings thereof for folding andexpanding the sections into inoperative and operative positions, combined with a concrete carrying vehicle, a part onthe vehicle to supply concrete therein to the hopper when the latter is unfolded, the hopper when folded being within a space equalto the lateral confines of the vehicle, and when. expanded being of a length greater than the vehicle width.

3. A spreading device of the character described, comprising a container formed of a plurality of sections adapted to cooperate to form a continuous distributing hopper when in operative position, and a vertically disposed hinge member connecting each pair of sections and adapting the sections to be folded together into a side-by-side inoperative position and expanded into an end-toend operative position.

4. A spreading device of the character clescribed, comprising the combination with a supporting frame, of a distributing hopper carried by the frame, and pivotally mounted instrumentalities interconnecting the hopperand frame, the hopper comprising a plurality of sections foldable along a vertical axis from operative to inoperative positions, and conversely.

5. A spreading device of the character described, comprising the combination with supporting instrumentalities including a concrete conveying and discharging vehicle, of a distributing hopper carried by the said instrumentalities, the hopper comprising a plurality of sections foldable from operative to inoperative positions, and conversely, so that when in operative position relatively wide distribution Will be had, and when folded to inoperative position the hopper will occupy a space not greater than the Width of the said vehicle.

6. A spreading device of the character described, comprising the combination with mixing instrumentalities, of a distributing hopper for receiving material discharged from the mixing instrumentalities, the hopper comprising a plurality of sections foldable from operative to inoperative position, and conversely, and means for distributing the discharged materials into the said hopper sections remote from adjacent ends thereof when the said hopper is in operative position.

7. A spreading device of the character described, comprising an open-bottom distributing hopper comprising a plurality of sections foldable from operative to inoperative positions, and conversely, and adjustable instrumentalities within the hopper for controlling discharge thereof through predetermined areas of the open bottom.

8. A spreading device of the character described, comprising an open bottom distributing hopper made up of a plurality of sections, foldable from operative to inoperative posit-ions, and conversely, and a gate hingedly mounted within the hopper for controlling discharge thereof through the open bottom, the said gate being also slidably mounted within the hopper to close predetermined portions of theopen bottom for regulation of discharge therethrough.

9. A spreading device of the character described, comprising an open-bottom distributing hopper made up of a plurality of sections foldable from operative to inoperative positions, and conversely, a flange projecting inwardly from one side of'the hopper, and a gate hingedly mounted within the hopper and opening adjacent to the flange, the gate being adapted to close at inoperative to operative tion of discharge therethrough.

, 10. A spreading device of the character described, comprising, in combination, a distributing hopper made of a plurality of sec tions foldably interconnected for movement from operative to inoperative positions, and conversely, a stationary hopper adapted to discharge into the foldable hopper, and. a deflector mounted in the stationary hopper for directing material discharged therefrom vaway from the central portion of the foldable hopper, thereby more evenly distributingthe material in the foldable hopper as the said material is discharged therefrom.v

1 11'. A spreading device ofthecharacter described, comprising the combination with mixing instrumentalities", of a stationary hopper for receiving material discharged from the mixing instrumentalities, a foldable hopper receiving-the materials from the stationaryshopper for distributing the materials over a surface, and an inverted V-shaped deflector mounted in the stationary hopper for directing the materials discharged therefrom into the foldable hopper away from the central portion of the foldable hopper,"

thereby effecting-an even distribution of the material in the foldable hopper as the said material is discharged therefrom I 12. A spreading device of the character described, comprising the combination'with supporting instrumentalities, of a foldable container mounted upon the instrumentalities and comprising a plurality of sections foldable vertically fromanbnd-to-end operative position to a side-by-side inoperative position, and conversely,the folded sections being then rotatable alonga horizontal axis to an inoperative carrying position, and instrumentalities for moving the sections from ver'sely. a q i. i 13. A spreading device of the character described, comprising the combination with supporting"; instrumentalities including a concrete transporting drum havln'g'a dIS- charge, of adistribut-ing hopper carried by the saidfinstrumentalities to receive concrete from said discharge, the hopper comprising a plurality of sections foldable from an excomposed of a plurality of sections adapted positions, and, conpanded operative position to a folded ill- 2 9 to register with each other to form a con- 'tinuous distributing hopper, vertically disposed hinge instrumentalities foldably interconnecting the'sections for displacing the sections from an operative end-to-end position to an inoperative side-by-side position, a supporting bracket interconnecting the sections with the supporting frame, a horizontal hinge interconnecting the sections with the bracket, and instrumentalities for swinging the folded sections about the said horizontal hinge for transportation of the device from place to place of use. 7

' 15. A spreading device of the character described, comprising the combination with supporting instrumentalities, of a distributing'hopper carried by the said instrumentalities, the hopper being formed of a plurality. of sections adapted 'to register-with '20 each other to form a continuous distributing hopper, vertical hinge means foldably interconnecting the sections for displacing the said sections from an operative end-to-end position to an inoperative side-by-side position, each hopper section being provided with a deflecting shield member adapted to interengage each other when the hopper sections are in expanded operative position to deflect material entering the hopper away 7-130 from the central part thereof, the interengaging-shield sections holding the adjacent 5 ends of the hopper sections together to prevent accidental spreading thereof during use.

'35 I 16. A concrete spreader comprising, in

combination, a truck frame, a concrete mixing drum mounted thereon and provided with discharge instrumentalities at the rear end of the drum, a foldable distributing hopper mounted on the frame and beneath the discharge instrumentalities of the drum, the said distributing hopper being ada ted to directly receive material discharged rom the drum, and means for folding and exi panding the hopper intov inoperative and 0perative positions, the said hopper when folded occupying a space substantially the width of the truck frame and when unfolded becoming operative to a length greater than 2' '50 the width of the said frame.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN F. ROBB. 

